As we all know, the Scottish are famous for their kilts, those knee-length skirts that beg the question –

What do Scotsmen wear underneath their kilts?

Leaving that mystery aside, there are many aspects to the garb worn at traditional  Scottish events that are often misunderstood by visitors.

Tartans

img credit - (cc) licensed

Tartan is a fabric usually made with wool interwoven into bands of colors creating “setts,” to create the traditional checkered patterns. These are woven into right angles with lengthways thread — known as the ‘warp’ –that  is determined by the set of the loom on which it is woven.

The ‘warp and sett’ of a tartan pattern is like a calling card to Scotsmen, and proclaims clan affiliation as effectively as a name badge.

Formal occasions such the Highland Games require dress tartans — as opposed to casual hunting tartans.

Plaid
Often visitors confuse the phrases tartan and plaid, since in America “plaid” refers to the Tartan pattern associated with the Scottish regalia.

But to a Scotsman the plaid is not a pattern, but rather a single rectangular piece of Tartan cloth that can be draped over the shoulder rather like a shawl. Adding a belt to the plaid for the style that is recognizable today was a later development

To don a traditional plaid skirt, the belt is first laid on the ground and the plaid is laid on top of it and pleated. Then the Scotsman lies on the plaid and fastens his belt around him so that the it wraps around his body and hangs down to his knees.

Kilts

img credit - (cc) licensed

A tradition since the 16th century, the kilt consists of overlapping layers of tartan fabric that hangs from the waist down to the knees. It is pleated in the back and the flat overlapping layers — known as flaps — are created by wrapping the cloth around the body. It is fastened by a kilt pin in the front or on the side.

The pleats at the back of the kilt are achieved in two ways. When they are folded to make vertical stripes down the center of each pleat, it is referred to as “pleating to the stripe” or “military pleats”.  If the kilt is “pleated to the sett,” then the fabric is folded so that a certain pattern is repeated all the way around the kilt.

Pleats are characterised by their width and depth. The depth is the inside fold and is determined by the pattern of the tartan weave, and the overlying protruding pleat is the measure of the width.